Exploring the Unknown - NASA's History Office

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Furthermore, it was found that, in many cases, a substantial portion of the teaching
staff in local grade and high schools was made up of wives of engineers and
scientists on NASA projects. These women are generally well educated, often
from a more cosmopolitan environment than that found in many of the NASA
locations in the South, and thus able to bring to school children a broader experience
and a greater appreciation for education than they would have otherwise.
5. NASA’s influence is also felt because of radical changes in per capita income that
it brings about. Recent scholarly studies have indicated that the South must
upgrade the productivity of its workers to achieve a position of economic (and
social) health and well-being equivalent to that of the rest of the United States.
Per capita income is the most reliable measure available to judge such progress,
and this indicator has been affected greatly by NASA presence.
6. In certain cases, NASA has been a catalyst in stimulating other developments, particularly
in New Orleans. In this case, the local economy was in a slump before the
advent of space activities in the area. Uniform agreement was found among local
business leaders, Chamber of Commerce officials, and others that the NASA presence
was a critical influence in enlightening the community to new and progressive
business opportunities.
7. The influence of NASA on education in the South is pertinent, above and beyond
that mentioned above. In insisting on good educational facilities for their sons
and daughters (and for themselves through college extension and graduate programs),
NASA and NASA-contractor employees have laid the groundwork for a
higher quality educational environment for all of the people in the communities
where they reside. The South particularly needs such influences to enhance its
own development. . . .
[19] IDENTIFIABLE NASA CONTRIBUTIONS
The impact on certain of the communities in which NASA operates in the South has
been extensive. In three of these areas, the economic impact has been direct and substantial;
in the other two areas, local economies have been affected only slightly, but the
catalytic effect of the space program has stimulated businessmen and community leaders
to think in even broader terms of expansion and utilization of local resources than they
had before.
Much of this change might reasonably be attributed to an influx of, and an enthusiasm
for, funds from the federal government—whatever their specific source and whatever
their end use or purpose. On the other hand, it appeared during this study that there
was something distinct about the infusion into a community of federal funds for research
and development, as opposed to federal funds for other uses.
To investigate this hypothesis, the principal investigator in this study visited each of
the NASA centers or bases of operations in the South. This chapter describes the results
of those visits and discussions, together with background material drawn from previous
studies along similar lines.
Huntsville, Alabama
SPACE AS AN INVESTMENT IN ECONOMIC GROWTH
In 1964, a Select Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives, 88th Congress, performed
a study entitled, “Impact of Federal Research and Development Programs.” In this
investigation, impacts on communities, higher education, industry, and the economy and
the nation generally were examined. The study revealed, in part, that:
1. Federal research and development programs make their impact on a given area
in one or more of three ways: The federally owned or operated research and